ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS – Great Britain Baseball were held off the scoreboard on Thursday, 25 September, dropping their quarterfinal matchup to Spain 7-0 at the 2025 European Championships.
Nick Wells got the start for Great Britain, his second of the European Championships, and both he and Spanish starter Pablo Guillen worked a perfect first inning. In the second, both starters worked out of trouble – Wells stranded two runners aboard, while a leadoff double for Charlie Collins proved fruitless for GBR in the second.
Spain loaded the bases in the third inning off three infield hits, and with one out, broke the scoreless tie. Wells walked Jesus Eustarez, Edison Valerio and Rusber Estrada to force in three runs before Carlos Colmenarez singled home a fourth. Manager Bradley Marcelino made the call to the bullpen to summon Baltimore Orioles farmhand Ryan Long, but a wild pitch brought in a fifth run before Long tallied a strikeout and induced a long flyout to end the inning, albeit with a five-run deficit to overcome.
Both teams would trade zeros from the third inning until the sixth, with Long retiring eight straight batters before giving way to Donovan Benoit, allowed a run in the sixth. Great Britain would load the bases in the bottom of the inning, with a Max Viera single, a Nick Ward double, and a walk to Collins, but could not score.
Benoit worked a scoreless seventh, and Zach Cameron entered in the eight, working a run-free inning before allowing a run following a GBR error in the ninth. In the final home frame, Great Britain were set down in order against old foe Rheiner Cruz, giving Spain the shutout win.
Great Britain will play in the placement round to settle fifth through eighth place, starting tomorrow, 26 September at 6 PM against Croatia on Field 2 at the Neptunus Familiestadion complex in Rotterdam. All games can be watched on BaseballEurope.TV.
For the latest news and notes from GB Baseball at the 2025 European Baseball Championship, make sure to follow Great Britain Baseball on Facebook, gb_baseball on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, TikTok at @gbbaseball, and on the British Baseball Federation Website, britishbaseball.org.uk.
– #LetsGoGB –